Liquid-crystal display device

ABSTRACT

A liquid-crystal display device includes a display panel connected to first to n th  gate lines and first to n th  control lines, where n is a natural number greater than one, and a gate driving unit which sequentially applies first to n th  gate signals having a first pulse width to the first to n th  gate lines, respectively, for a unit frame, where the first to n th  control lines are sorted into first to k th  control line groups, where k is a natural number greater than one and less than n, the gate driving unit sequentially applies first to k th  control signals having a second pulse width to the first to k th  control line group, respectively, for the unit frame, and the first pulse width is smaller than the second pulse width.

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0128402, filed on Sep. 10, 2015, and all the benefits accruingtherefrom under 35 U.S.C. §119, the content of in its entirety is hereinincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a liquid-crystaldisplay device.

2. Description of the Related Art

A liquid-crystal display (“LCD”) device is one of the most commonly usedflat display devices. An LCD device generally includes two substrates onwhich field generating electrodes such as a pixel electrode and a commonelectrode are formed, and a liquid-crystal layer disposed therebetween.An LCD device displays an image in such a manner that a voltage isapplied to field generating electrodes to generate an electric fieldacross a liquid-crystal layer, and liquid-crystal molecules in theliquid-crystal layer are aligned by the electric field so as to controlthe polarization of incident light.

Among others, a vertically aligned (“VA”) mode LCD is under development.In the VA mode LCD, liquid-crystal molecules are oriented such thattheir longer axes are perpendicular to the display substrate when noelectric field is applied. A variety of structures of VA mode LCDdevices are under development, including a structure in which a pixel isdivided into two sub-pixels for better visibility when viewed from aside of the device.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a liquid-crystal display(“LCD”) device capable of providing better visibility when viewed from aside of the device and improving an aperture ratio.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention also provide an LCD devicecapable of mitigating inverse afterimage.

It should be noted that objects of the invention are not limited to theabove-described objects, and other objects of the invention will beapparent to those skilled in the art from the following descriptions.

According to exemplary embodiments of the invention, inverse afterimagephenomenon occurring in an LCD device may be mitigated.

Further, according to exemplary embodiments of the invention, visibilitywhen viewed from a side of the device may be improved. In addition, nocontact hole for dividing voltage is required, so that an aperture ratiomay be increased.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention discloses a display panelconnected to first to n^(th) gate lines and first to n^(th) controllines, where n is a natural number greater than one, and a gate drivingunit configured to sequentially apply first to n^(th) gate signalshaving a first pulse width to the first to n^(th) gate lines,respectively, for a unit frame, where the first to n^(th) control linesare sorted into first to k^(th) control line groups, where k is anatural number greater than one and less than n, the gate driving unitis configured to sequentially apply first to k^(th) control signalshaving a second pulse width to the first to k^(th) control line group,respectively, for the unit frame, and the first pulse width is smallerthan the second pulse width.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention also discloses a data drivingunit connected to a plurality of data lines disposed in a firstdirection, a gate driving unit connected to a plurality of gate linesand a plurality of control lines disposed in a second directiondifferent from the first direction and a display panel including aplurality of pixels each of having first and second sub-pixels, wherethe first sub-pixel includes a first switching element, a gate electrodeof the first switching element being connected to an i^(th) gate line ofthe plurality of gate lines, one electrode of the first switchingelement being connected to a j^(th) data line of the plurality of datalines, and another electrode of the first switching element beingconnected to a first sub-pixel electrode, where i and j are naturalnumbers equal to or greater than one, the second sub-pixel includes asecond switching element, a gate electrode of the second switchingelement being connected to the i^(th) gate line and one electrode of thesecond switching element being connected to the j^(th) data line, and athird switching element, a gate electrode of the third switching elementbeing connected to the i^(th) control line, one electrode of the thirdswitching element being connected to the another electrode of the firstswitching electrode, and another electrode of the third switchingelement being connected to a second sub-pixel electrode, and where aduty cycle of an i^(th) control signal provided from the i^(th) controlline ranges from 20% to 50%.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention also discloses a gate drivingunit connected to first to n^(th) gate lines and first to k^(th) controllines, where n is a natural number greater than one and k is a naturalnumber greater than one and less than n, a data driving unit connectedto first to m^(th) data lines, and a display panel including a pluralityof pixels each connected to the respective first to n^(th) gate lines,where the display panel is divided into first to k^(th) display planesconnected to the first to k^(th) control lines, respectively, the gatedriving unit is configured to sequentially apply gate signals to thefirst to n^(th) gate lines, respectively, during a unit frame, and tosequentially apply control signals to the first to k^(th) control lines,and a pulse width of the gate signals is different from a pulse width ofthe control signals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other exemplary embodiments and features of the inventionwill become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodimentsthereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a liquid-crystaldisplay (“LCD”) device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram of an example of a pixel of thedisplay panel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing a plan view of the pixel shown in FIG. 2 inmore detail;

FIG. 4 is a view showing only some of elements of the pixel shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I1-I1′ in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I2-I2′ in FIG. 3;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams for illustrating an exemplary embodiment of amethod of driving an LCD device according to the invention; and

FIGS. 9 to 11 are graphs for illustrating effects achieved by anexemplary embodiment of an LCD device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various exemplary embodiments. It is apparent, however,that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In otherinstances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagramform in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring various exemplaryembodiments.

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments areshown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms,and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forthherein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this inventionwill be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of theinvention to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer tolike elements throughout.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”another element, it can be directly on the other element or interveningelements may be therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referredto as being “directly on” another element, there are no interveningelements present.

It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,”“third” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements,components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components,regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms.These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region,layer or section from another element, component, region, layer orsection. Thus, “a first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer” or“section” discussed below could be termed a second element, component,region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms, including “at least one,” unless the content clearly indicatesotherwise. “Or” means “and/or.” As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” or “includes” and/or “including” when used in thisspecification, specify the presence of stated features, regions,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or“top,” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship toanother element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understoodthat relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations ofthe device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. In anexemplary embodiment, when the device in one of the figures is turnedover, elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elementswould then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. Theexemplary term “lower,” can therefore, encompasses both an orientationof “lower” and “upper,” depending on the particular orientation of thefigure. Similarly, when the device in one of the figures is turned over,elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then beoriented “above” the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or“beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above andbelow.

“About” or “approximately” as used herein is inclusive of the statedvalue and means within an acceptable range of deviation for theparticular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art,considering the measurement in question and the error associated withmeasurement of the particular quantity (i.e., the limitations of themeasurement system). For example, “about” can mean within one or morestandard deviations, or within ±30%, 20%, 10%, 5% of the stated value.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and theinvention, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formalsense unless expressly so defined herein.

Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to crosssection illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealizedembodiments. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations asa result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances,are to be expected. Thus, embodiments described herein should not beconstrued as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustratedherein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example,from manufacturing. In an exemplary embodiment, a region illustrated ordescribed as flat may, typically, have rough and/or nonlinear features.Moreover, sharp angles that are illustrated may be rounded. Thus, theregions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and theirshapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region andare not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a liquid-crystal display (“LCD”) deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the LCD device according to the exemplaryembodiment may include a display panel 11, a data driving unit 12, agate driving unit 13 and a timing control unit 14.

The display panel 11 displays an image thereon. The display panel 11 mayinclude a lower display substrate 10, an upper display substrate 20facing the lower display substrate 10, and a liquid-crystal layer 30interposed therebetween (refer to FIG. 5). That is, the display panel 11may be a liquid-crystal panel. The display panel 11 is connected tofirst to n^(th) gate lines GL1 to GLn, first to n^(th) control linesRGL1 to RGLn, and first to m^(th) data lines DL1 to DLm, where n and mare natural numbers greater than one. The display panel 11 includes aplurality of pixels PX11 to PXnm, each of the pixels being connected toone of the first to n^(th) gate lines GL1 to GLn, one of the first ton^(th) control lines RGL1 to RGLn, and one of the first to m^(th) datalines DL1 to DLm. The first to n^(th) gate lines GL1 to GLn, the firstto n^(th) control lines RGL1 to RGLn, the first to m^(th) data lines DL1to DLm and the plurality of pixels PX11 to PXnm may be disposed on thelower display substrate 10 of the display panel 11. The lines areinsulated from one another.

The plurality of pixels PX11 to PXnm may be arranged in a matrix, forexample. The first to m^(th) data lines DL1 to DLm may be extended in afirst direction d1. The first to n^(th) gate lines GL1 to GLn may beextended in a second direction d2 different from the first direction d1.The first to n^(th) control lines RGL1 to RGLn may be extended in thesecond direction d2, like the first to n^(th) gate lines GL1 to GLn. InFIG. 1, the first direction d1 is the column direction, and the seconddirection d2 is the row direction.

The data driving unit 12 may include a shift register, a latch, adigital-analog converter (“DAC”), etc. The data driving unit 12 mayreceive a first control signal CONT1 and image data DATA from the timingcontrol unit 14. The data driving unit 12 may select a reference voltagein response to the first control signal CONT1 and may convert thereceived image data DATA in the form of a digital wave into first tom^(th) data signals D1 to Dm based on the selected reference voltage.The data driving unit 12 may provide the generated first to m^(th) datasignals D1 to Dm to the display panel 11.

The gate driving unit 13 may receive a second control signal CONT2 fromthe timing control unit 14. The gate driving unit 13 may provide firstto n^(th) gate signals G1 to Gn and first to n^(th) control signals RG1to RGn to the display panel 11 in response to the received secondcontrol signal CONT2.

The timing control unit 14 may receive image signals R, G and B and acontrol signal CS for controlling them from an external device. In anexemplary embodiment, the control signal CS may include, for example, avertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronous signal, a mainclock signal and a data enable signal, etc. The timing control unit 14may process the signals received from external devices so that thesignals are suitable for the operating conditions of the display panel11, and then may generate the image data DATA, the first control signalCONT1 and the second control signal CONT2. The first control signalCONT1 may include a horizontal synchronization signal to instruct toinput the image data DADA and a load signal for controlling applicationof the plurality of data lines DL1 to DLm and the data voltages D1 toDm, etc. The second control signal CONT2 may include a scan start signalto instruct to start outputting the first to n^(th) gate signals G1 toGn and first to n^(th) control signals RG1 to RGn and a gate clocksignal for controlling the output timing of a scan on pulse, etc.

Further, the LCD device according to the exemplary embodiment of theinvention may further include a power supplying unit (not shown). Thepower supplying unit may supply an operating power to the LCD deviceaccording to the exemplary embodiment of the invention and may provide acommon voltage Vcom to a common electrode 220 (refer to FIG. 5) via acommon line (not shown).

Among the plurality of pixels PX11 to PXnm, a pixel PXij may beconnected to the i^(th) gate line GLi, the i^(th) control line RGLi andthe j^(th) line DLj, where i is a natural number between one and n, andj is a natural number between one and m. This will be described below inmore detail with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram of an example of a pixel PXij ofthe display panel 11 shown in FIG. 1.

The pixel PXij may include first and second sub-pixels SPX1 and SPX2.The first and second sub-pixels SPX1 and SPX2 may receive the j^(th)data signal Dj to display an image based on different gamma curves or onthe same gamma curve. That is, the first and second sub-pixels SPX1 andSPX2 may display image having different brightness for a single datasignal to thereby improve visibility when viewed from a side of thedevice. The area of the first sub-pixel SPX1 may be equal to ordifferent from the area of the second sub-pixel SPX2.

The first sub-pixel SPX1 may include a first switching element TR1, afirst liquid-crystal capacitor Clc1 and a first storage capacitor Cst1.

The first switching element TR1 may be a transistor, for example. A gateelectrode of the first switching element TR1 may be connected to thei^(th) gate line GLi, one electrode of the first switching electrode TR1may be connected to the j^(th) data line DLj, and the other electrode ofthe first switching electrode TR1 may be connected to a first sub-pixelelectrode PE1. The one electrode of the first switching element TR1 maybe, for example, a source electrode and the other electrode thereof maybe, for example, a drain electrode. The first liquid-crystal capacitorClc1 may be disposed between the first sub-pixel electrode PE1 and thecommon electrode 220 (refer to FIG. 5). In addition, the first storagecapacitor Cst1 may be disposed between the first sub-pixel electrode PE1and a first storage line STL1 (refer to FIG. 3).

The first switching element TR1 may be turned on in response to thei^(th) gate signal Gi received from the i^(th) gate line GLi, and mayprovide the j^(th) data signal Dj received from the j^(th) data line DLjto the first sub-pixel electrode PE1. Accordingly, the firstliquid-crystal capacitor Clc1 may be charged up to the differencebetween the voltage applied at the first sub-pixel electrode PE1 and thevoltage Vcom at the common electrode 220 (refer to FIG. 5).

The second sub-pixel SPX2 may include a second switching element TR2, athird switching element TR3, a second liquid-crystal capacitor Clc2 anda second storage capacitor Cst2.

The second and third switching elements TR2 and TR3 may be transistors,for example. A gate electrode of the second switching element TR2 may beconnected to the i^(th) gate line GLi, one electrode of the secondswitching electrode TR2 may be connected to the j^(th) data line DLj,and the other electrode of the second switching electrode TR2 may beconnected to one electrode of the third switching element TR3. In anexemplary embodiment, the one electrode of the second switching elementTR2 may be, for example, a source electrode, and the other electrodethereof may be, for example, a drain electrode. A gate electrode of thethird switching element TR3 may be connected to the i^(th) control lineRGLi, one electrode of the third switching electrode TR3 may beconnected to the other electrode of the second switching element TR2,and the other electrode of the third switching electrode TR3 may beconnected to a second sub-pixel electrode PE2. In an exemplaryembodiment, the one electrode of the third switching element TR3 may be,for example, a source electrode, and the other electrode thereof may be,for example, a drain electrode. The second liquid-crystal capacitor Clc2may be disposed between the second sub-pixel electrode PE2 and thecommon electrode 220 (refer to FIG. 5). In addition, the second storagecapacitor Cst2 may be disposed between the second sub-pixel electrodePE2 and a second storage line STL2 (refer to FIG. 3). In an exemplaryembodiment, a first storage voltage Vcst1 in the form of a directcurrent (“DC”) voltage may be applied to the first storage line STL1,for example. In an exemplary embodiment, a second storage voltage Vcst2in the form of DC voltage may be applied to the second storage lineSTL2, for example. In an exemplary embodiment, the level of the firststorage voltage Vcst1 may be equal to that of the second storage voltageVcst2, for example.

The second switching element TR2 may be turned on in response to thei^(th) gate signal Gi received from the i^(th) gate line GLi, and mayprovide the j^(th) data signal Dj received from the j^(th) data line DLjto the one electrode of the third switching element TR3. The thirdswitching element TR3 may be turned on in response to the i^(th) controlsignal RGi received from the i^(th) control line RGLi and may work likea resistor. In an exemplary embodiment, the on-resistance of the thirdswitching element TR3 may be between about 0.1 mega-ohm (MΩ) and about1,000 MΩ, for example.

That is, the voltage of the j^(th) data signal Dj received from thesecond transistor element TR2 is dropped across the third switchingelement TR3 in proportion to the on-resistance and then is provided tothe second sub-pixel electrode PE2. As a result, the level of thevoltage applied to the second sub-pixel electrode PE2 may be lower thanthe level of the voltage applied to the first sub-pixel electrode PE1.

Accordingly, different voltages are applied to the first and secondsub-pixel electrodes PE1 and PE2 of the pixel PXij, respectively, suchthat an angle at which the liquid-crystal molecules in the firstsub-pixel SPX1 are oriented is different from an angle at which theliquid-crystal molecules in the second sub-pixel SPX2 are oriented.

In addition, in the LCD device according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, no additional contact hole for applying a dividingvoltage to a switching element for voltage dividing is required. As aresult, the LCD device according to the exemplary embodiment of theinvention may achieve a higher aperture ratio.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pixel PXij shown in FIG. 2 in more detail.FIG. 4 is a view showing only some of elements of the pixel PXij shownin FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I1-I1′ ofFIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I2-I2′ of FIG.3.

The pixel PXij of the elements of the LCD device according to theexemplary embodiment of the invention will be described in more detailwith reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. The LCD device according to theexemplary embodiment of the invention may include a lower displaysubstrate 10, an upper display substrate 20 and a liquid-crystal layer30 interposed therebetween. The lower display substrate 10 may face theupper display substrate 20. In an exemplary embodiment, the lowerdisplay substrate 10 and the upper display substrate 20 may be attachedto each other and sealed together, for example.

The lower substrate 10 will be described first.

In an exemplary embodiment, the lower substrate 110 may be, for example,a transparent glass substrate or a plastic substrate, and may be anarray substrate on which a plurality of switching elements is disposed.An i^(th) gate line GLi, an i^(th) control line RGLi, a first storageline STL1 and a second storage line STL2 may be disposed on the lowersubstrate 100. Specifically, referring to FIG. 4, the i^(th) gate lineGLi, the i^(th) control line RGLi, the first storage line STL1 and thesecond storage line STL2 may be disposed on the same layer. The i^(th)gate line GLi may include first and second gate electrodes GE1 and GE2.The i^(th) control line RGLi may include a third gate electrode GE3 anda control line electrode RGE protruding toward the i^(th) gate line GLiin a plan view.

More specifically, the first gate electrode GE1 may protrude or beexpanded from the i^(th) gate line GLi toward a first semiconductorpattern 130 a. The second gate electrode GE2 may protrude or be expandedfrom the i^(th) gate line GLi toward a second semiconductor pattern 130b. In addition, the third gate electrode GE3 may protrude or be expandedfrom the i^(th) control line RGLi toward a third semiconductor pattern130 c. The first storage line STL1 may be disposed above the i^(th) gateline GLi in FIG. 3. The second storage line STL2 may be disposed belowthe i^(th) gate line GLi in FIG. 3. The first and second storage linesSTL1 and ST12 may be electrically connected to each other. Accordingly,the storage voltages Vcst1 and Vcst2 (refer to FIG. 2) having the samevoltage level may be provided to the storage lines.

In an exemplary embodiment, the i^(th) gate line GLi, the i^(th) controlline RGLi, the first storage line STL1 and the second storage line STL2may be provided as a single-layer, a double-layer or a triple-layerincluding a conductive metal including at least one of aluminum (Al),copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), chrome (Cr), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W),molybdenum-tungsten (MoW), molybdenum-titanium (MoTi) andcopper/molybdenum-titanium (Cu/MoTi), for example.

The gate insulation film 120 may be disposed on the i^(th) gate lineGLi, the i^(th) control line RGLi, the first storage line STL1 and thesecond storage line STL2. In an exemplary embodiment, the gateinsulation film 120 may include, for example, silicon nitride (SiNx) orsilicon oxide (SiOx), for example. In an exemplary embodiment, the gateinsulation film 120 may have a multi-layer structure including twoinsulation layers having different physical properties, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment, the semiconductor layer 130 may be disposedon the gate insulation film 120 and may include, for example, amorphoussilicon, polycrystalline silicon, etc., for example. A part of thesemiconductor layer 130 may overlap the j^(th) data line DLj. Inaddition, in an embodiment where the plurality of data lines, the firstto third source electrodes SE1, SE2 and SE3, the first to third drainelectrodes DE1, DE2 and DE3 and the semiconductor layer 130 are providedtogether via the same process using a single mask, the semiconductorlayer 130 may be disposed under the elements. That is, the semiconductorlayer 130 may have substantially the same shape as the plurality of dadalines, except a channel region. The semiconductor layer 130 may includea first semiconductor pattern 130 a providing a first switching elementTR1, a second semiconductor pattern 130 b providing a second switchingelement TR2, and a third semiconductor pattern 130 c providing a thirdswitching element TR3. At least a part of the first semiconductorpattern 130 a overlaps the first gate electrode GE1. At least a part ofthe second semiconductor pattern 130 b overlaps the second gateelectrode GE2. At least a part of the third semiconductor pattern 130 coverlaps the third gate electrode GE3.

An ohmic contact layer 140 may be disposed on the semiconductor layer130. In an exemplary embodiment, the ohmic contact layer 140 may includea material highly doped with an n-type impurity such as phosphorus,e.g., n+ hydrogenated amorphous silicon, or may include silicide.

The j^(th) data line DLj, the (j+1)^(th) data line DLj+1, the first tothird source electrodes SE1, SE2 and SE3, the first to third drainelectrodes DE1, DE2 and DE3 may be disposed on the ohmic contact layer140. The first switching element TR1 may include a first sourceelectrode SE1, a first drain electrode DE1, a first semiconductorpattern 130 a and a first gate electrode GE1. The first source electrodeSE1 may be connected to the j^(th) data line DLj to receive the j^(th)data signal Dj. The first drain electrode DE1 may be electricallyconnected to the first sub-pixel electrode PE1 via a first contact holeCNT1. A part of each of the first source electrode SE1 and the firstdrain electrode DE1 may overlap the first gate electrode GE1. The firstsource electrode SE1 and the first drain electrode DE1 may be disposedon the first semiconductor pattern 130 a and the ohmic contact layer 140spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

The second switching element TR2 may include a second source electrodeSE2, a second drain electrode DE2, a second semiconductor pattern 130 aand a second gate electrode GE2. The second source electrode SE2 may beconnected to the j^(th) data line DLj to receive the j^(th) data signalDj. The second drain electrode DE2 may be electrically connected to thesource electrode SE3 of the third switching element TR3. A part of eachof the second source electrode SE2 and the second drain electrode DE2may overlap the second gate electrode GE2. The second source electrodeSE2 and the second drain electrode DE2 may be disposed on the secondsemiconductor pattern 130 b and the ohmic contact layer 140 spaced apartfrom each other by a predetermined distance.

The third switching element TR3 may include a third source electrodeSE3, a third drain electrode DE3, a third semiconductor pattern 130 cand a third gate electrode GE3. The third source electrode SE3 may beconnected to second drain electrode DE2 of the second switching elementTR2 to receive the j^(th) data signal Dj from the second switchingelement TR2. The third drain electrode DE3 may be electrically connectedto the second sub-pixel electrode PE2 via a second contact hole CNT2. Apart of each of the third source electrode SE3 and the third drainelectrode DE3 may overlap the third gate electrode GE3. The third sourceelectrode SE3 and the third drain electrode DE3 may be disposed on thethird semiconductor pattern 130 c and the ohmic contact layer 140 spacedapart from each other by a predetermined distance.

Accordingly, the first sub-pixel SPX1 may receive the j^(th) data signalDj via the first source electrode SE1 and may apply the j^(th) datasignal Dj to the first sub-pixel electrode PE1 via the first drainelectrode DE1 and the first contact hole CNT1. The second sub-pixel SPX2may provide the j^(th) data signal Dj received via the second sourceelectrode SE2 of the second switching element TR2 to the third sourceelectrode SE3 of the third switching element TR3. In addition, the thirdswitching element TR3 may apply the j^(th) data signal Dj received via aswitching operation to the second sub-pixel electrode PE2 via the secondcontact hole CNT2 of the third drain electrode DE3. In this regard, thevoltage of the j^(th) data signal Dj is dropped when the third switchingelement TR3 performs a switching operation due to the on-resistance ofthe third switching element TR3. As a result, even though the samevoltage of the j^(th) data signal Dj is applied to the first and secondsub-pixels SPX1 and SPX3, voltages of different levels are applied tothe sub-pixel electrodes PE1 and PE2. That is, as the level of thevoltage applied to the first sub-pixel electrode PE1 is higher than thatof the second sub-pixel electrode PE2, an angle at which theliquid-crystal molecules in the first sub-pixel SPX1 are oriented isdifferent from an angle at which the liquid-crystal molecules in thesecond sub-pixel SPX2 are oriented.

Accordingly, in the LCD device according to the exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, even when a pixel receives a single data signal,different voltages are applied to sub-pixel electrodes, and thusvisibility when viewed from a side of the device may be improved. Inaddition, no additional contact hole for dividing voltage is required,and thus the aperture ratio of the device may be increased.

Unlike the first and second switching elements TR1 and TR2, the thirdswitching element TR3 is electrically connected to the i^(th) controlline RGLi. The i^(th) gate signal Gi provided from the i^(th) gate lineGLi may have a pulse width different from that of the i^(th) controlsignal RGi provided from the i^(th) control line RGLi. A descriptionthereof will be made below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

In an exemplary embodiment, the j^(th) data line DLj, the (j+1)^(th)data line DLj+1, the first to third source electrodes SE1, SE2 and SE3and the first to third drain electrodes DE1, DE2 and DE3 may be providedas a single-layer, a double-layer or a triple-layer including aconductive metal including aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo),chrome (Cr), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), molybdenum-tungsten (MoW),molybdenum-titanium (MoTi), and copper/molybdenum-titanium (Cu/MoTi).However, the material for the lines and electrodes are not limited tothose listed above but may include a variety of metals or conductors.

The first passivation film 150 may be disposed on the j^(th) data lineDLj, the (j+1)^(th) data line DLj+1, the first to third sourceelectrodes SE1, SE2 and SE3, the first to third drain electrodes DE1,DE2 and DE3, and the gate insulation film 120. In an exemplaryembodiment, the first passivation film 150 may include an inorganicinsulating material such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide, forexample. The first passivation film 150 may prevent a pigment of a colorfilter 160 disposed on the first passivation film 150 from beingintroduced into exposed portions of the semiconductor.

The color filter 160 may be disposed on the first passivation film 150.The color filter 160 may allow one of the primary colors such as threeprimary colors including red, green and blue, etc., to be produced, forexample. The color filter 160 of a pixel may include a materialdifferent from that of the next pixel so that they allow differentcolors to be produced.

A second passivation film 170 may be disposed on the color filter 160.The second passivation film 170 may include an inorganic insulatingmaterial such as silicon nitride and silicon oxide, or an organicinsulating material. The second passivation film 170 is to prevent thecolor filter 160 from coming off the underlying layer, and to suppressthe liquid-crystal layer 30 from being contaminated by an organicmaterial such as a solvent introduced from the color filter 160, so thatdefects such as image sticking possibly occurring on the screen may beavoided.

The first sub-pixel electrode PE1 may be disposed on the secondpassivation film 170 and may be electrically connected to the firstdrain electrode DE1 exposed via a first contact hole CNT1. The secondsub-pixel electrode PE2 may be disposed on the second passivation film170 and may be electrically connected to the third drain electrode DE3exposed via a second contact hole CNT2. In an exemplary embodiment, thefirst and second sub-pixel electrodes PE1 and PE2 may include atransparent conductive material such as ITO and IZO, or may include areflective metal such as aluminum, silver, chrome or an alloy thereof.

In an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of first slits ST1 may bedefined in the first sub-pixel electrode PE1, for example. In anexemplary embodiment, a plurality of second slits ST2 may be defined inthe second sub-pixel electrode PE2, for example. For the first sub-pixelelectrode PE1, the first slits ST1 may generate fringe field between thefirst sub-pixel electrode PE1 and a common electrode 220 to be describedbelow, so that liquid-crystal molecules in the liquid-crystal layer 30may be rotated in a particular direction. In an exemplary embodiment,the first and second sub-pixel electrodes PE1 and PE2 may have agenerally quadrangular shape, and may include crossing branches having aplurality of horizontal branches and a plurality of vertical branchesintersecting one another, for example.

A shielding electrode 180 may be disposed on the second passivation film170. That is, the shielding electrode 180 may be disposed on the samelayer where the first and second sub-pixel electrodes PE1 and PE2 aredisposed. The shielding electrode 180 may receive the same voltage asthe common Vcom applied to the common electrode 220. The shieldelectrode 180 may overlap a plurality of data lines and thus it mayprevent light leakage due to coupling between the plurality of datalines and pixel electrodes adjacent thereto. In an exemplary embodiment,the shield electrode may include a transparent conductive material suchas ITO and IZO, or including a reflective metal such as aluminum,silver, chrome or an alloy thereof.

In an exemplary embodiment, the upper substrate 190 may include atransparent glass or a plastic. A light-blocking member 200, alsoreferred to as a black matrix, may be disposed on the upper substrate190 for blocking light leakage. An overcoat layer 210 may be disposed onthe upper substrate 190 and the light-blocking member 200. The overcoatlayer 210 may include an insulating material and may be eliminated insome implementations.

The common electrode 220 may be disposed on the overcoat layer 210. Atleast a part of the common electrode 220 may overlap the first andsecond sub-pixel electrodes PE1 and PE2. When the j^(th) data signal Djis applied to the first sub-pixel electrode PE1 by the switchingoperation of the first switching element TR1 while the common voltageVcom (refer to FIG. 2) is applied to the common electrode 220, anelectric field may be generated between the first sub-pixel electrodePE1 and the common electrode 220. The generated electric field causesthe liquid-crystal molecules in the liquid-crystal layer 30 to beoriented. Similarly, an electric field may be generated between thesecond sub-pixel electrode PE2 and the common electrode 220. However, asdescribed above, the level of the voltage applied to the secondsub-pixel electrode PE2 is lower than that of the first sub-pixelelectrode PE1, and thus the liquid-crystal molecules located between thesecond sub-pixel electrode PE2 and the common electrode 220 are orientedat an angle different from an angle at which the liquid-crystalmolecules located between the first sub-pixel electrode PE1 and thecommon electrode 220 are oriented. As a result, according to theexemplary embodiment of the invention, the LCD device may have improvedvisibility when viewed from a side of the device even with no additionalcontact hole for dividing voltage.

Hereinafter, a method of driving an LCD device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7and 8.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams for illustrating a method of driving an LCDdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. It is tobe noted that the first to n^(th) gate lines GL1 to GLn, the first tom^(th) data lines DL1 to DLm, the data driving unit 12 and the timingcontrol unit 14 are not shown in FIG. 7 for convenience. In FIG. 8, gatesignals are collectively referred to as “gate signals 720” forconvenience of illustration.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7, a plurality of control lines may be sortedinto first to k^(th) control line groups, where k is a natural numbergreater than 1 and less than n. In the following descriptions, it isassumed that k is 5. The plurality of control lines may be sorted intothe first to fifth control line groups GP1 to GP5. A display panel 11may include a plurality of display planes. The number of the displayplanes may be equal to the number of the control line groups.Accordingly, the display panel 11 may include first to first displayplanes P1 to P5, for example.

The first display plane P1 may be connected to the gate driving unit 13via a plurality of control lines belonging to the first control linegroup GP1. The second display plane P2 may be connected to the gatedriving unit 13 via a plurality of control lines belonging to the secondcontrol line group GP2. Similarly, the third to fifth display planes P3to P5 may be connected to the gate driving unit 13 via the third tofifth control line groups GP3 to GP5, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the gate driving unit 13 may apply a controlsignal having the same duty cycle to every control line of each of thecontrol line groups GP1 to GP5 for a unit frame. That is, all of thecontrol lines of the same control line group may receive control signalshaving the same cycle. The unit frame refers to a time period allocatedfor displaying a frame. In an exemplary embodiment, when a framefrequency is about 60 Hertz (Hz), the unit frame is approximately 16.6milliseconds (msec), for example.

The gate driving unit 13 may sequentially apply first to fifth controlsignals 710 a to 710 e to the first to fifth control line signals GP1 toGP5, respectively. One of the first to fifth control signals 710 a to710 e may overlap another one. More specifically, the gate driving unit13 may apply the first control signal 710 a to a plurality of pixelslocated in the first display plane P1 via the plurality of control linesbelonging to the first control line group GP1. Then, before thetransition of the first control signal 710 a from High to Low, the gatedriving unit 13 may apply the second control signal 710 b to a pluralityof pixels located in the second display plane P2 via the plurality ofcontrol lines belonging to the second control line group GP2. As aresult, the first and second control signals 710 a and 710 b overlapeach other. Likewise, the gate driving unit 13 may sequentially applythe third to fifth control signals 710 c to 710 e to the third to fifthdisplay planes P3 to P5, respectively. As a result, the third controlsignal 710 c may overlap the fourth control signal 710 d, and the fourthcontrol signal 710 d may overlap the fifth control signal 710 e.

The gate driving unit 13 may sequentially apply first to n^(th) gatesignals G1 to Gn to the first to n^(th) control lines GL1 to GLn,respectively, for the unit frame. That is, the gate driving unit 13 maysequentially apply the first to fifth control signals 710 a to 710 e tothe first to fifth display planes P1 to P5, respectively, and alsosequentially apply the first to n^(th) gate signals G1 to Gn to thedisplay panel 110.

The pulse width of the first to fifth control signals 710 a to 710 e maybe larger than that of the first to n^(th) gate signals G1 to Gn.Accordingly, the third switching element TR3 of each of the plurality ofpixels located in the first display plane P1 may remain turned on untila predetermined time point after the second control signal 710 b isprovided to the second display plane P2.

That is, the third switching element TR3 (referring to FIGS. 2 and 3) ofeach of the pixels may be turned on before the first and secondswitching elements TR1 and TR2 (referring to FIGS. 2 and 3) in the samepixel are turned on. In addition, the third switching element TR3 ofeach of the pixels may remain turned on even when the first and secondswitching elements TR1 and TR2 in the same pixel are turned off until apredetermined time point after a control signal is provided to the nextdisplay plane. Since five control signals are applied to the displaypanel 11 for the unit frame, the third switching element TR3 receives acontrol signal in the form of DC voltage having the duty cycle of 20%.

The duty cycle (Ton/Tframe) may range from about 0.001% to about 100%,and preferably from 20% to 25%. Herein, “Ton” denotes a time periodduring which the third switching element TR3 is turned on, and Tframedenotes the unit frame.

If a control signal having the duty cycle of 100% is applied to the gateelectrode GE3 of the third switching element TR3 from the gate drivingunit 13, inverse afterimage may occur. The inverse afterimage refers toa phenomenon that a white region and a black region are reversed in agray level. That is, the inverse afterimage refers to the phenomenonthat a white region looks darker than a black region or a black regionlooks brighter than a white region. Such inverse afterimage may beresulted from a change in the resistance of the third semiconductorpattern 103 c (refer to FIG. 5) of the third switching element TR3. Thatis, the third switching element TR3 receives a control having the dutycycle of 100%, i.e., a control signal in the form of DC voltage, suchthat it remains turned on during the unit frame. Accordingly, theresistance component of the third semiconductor pattern 130 c mayincrease due to a reduction in the amount of current in DC bias period(charge trap). The increase in the resistance component makes a whiteregion larger than a black region, resulting image sticking.

In contrast, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, thecontrol signal is not a DC voltage but has a predetermined duty cycle,so that inverse afterimage may be mitigated.

That is, the gate driving unit 13 applies a control signal having apredetermined duty cycle to the third switching element TR3 of each ofthe pixels. Accordingly, the third switching element TR3 is turned offwhen the level of the control signal is Low. As a result, according tothe exemplary embodiment of the invention, the time period for which thethird switching element TR3 is turned on may be reduced, so that anincrease in the resistance component of the third semiconductor pattern130 c may be mitigated. In an exemplary embodiment, the predeterminedduty cycle may range, for example, from about 20% to about 25%.

In this regard, the number of the control line groups into which theplurality of control lines is sorted may vary depending on the dutycycle. As described above with respect to FIG. 8, in the LCD deviceaccording to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first ton^(th) control lines RGL1 to RGLn are sorted into the five control linegroups GP1 to GP5, and the third switching element TR3 of each of thepixels receives a control signal having the duty cycle of about 20%. Asa result, an increase in the resistance component of the thirdsemiconductor pattern 130 c of the third switching element TR3 may besuppressed, so that the inverse afterimage may be mitigated.

In addition, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, theLCD device may increase signal stability by allowing each of the firstthe fifth control signals 710 a to 710 e to overlap the next one.

Although not shown in the drawings, the gate driving unit 13 may bedivided into a first driving unit sequentially apply the first to n^(th)gate signals G1 to Gn to the first to n^(th) gate lines GL1 to GLn, anda second driving unit sequentially apply the first to fifth controlsignals 710 a to 710 e to the first to fifth display planes P1 to P5.Further, the second driving unit may include a plurality of sub-drivingunits depending on the number of the display planes of the display panel11. Assuming that k=5, the second driving unit includes first to fifthsub-driving units. The sub-driving units may control sending first tofifth control signals 710 a to 710 e to the first to fifth displayplanes P1 to P5, respectively.

FIGS. 9 to 11 are graphs for illustrating effects achieved by an LCDdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing the brightness of an LCD device at initialdriving (810), the brightness of an LCD device with a control signalhaving the duty cycle of 100% (820), and the brightness of an LCD devicewith a control signal having the duty cycle of 20% (830) for comparison.The brightness of the LCD device with a control signal having the dutycycle of 100% (820) and the LCD device with a control signal having theduty cycle of 20% (830) was measured after annealing is performed fortwo hours at fifty degrees.

As seen from FIG. 9, the brightness of the LCD device with a controlsignal having the duty cycle of 100% (820) was lower than the brightnessof the LCD device at initial driving (810) due to charge trap, i.e., anincrease in the resistance component by a reduction in the amount ofcurrent. In contrast, it may be seen that the brightness of the LCDdevice with a control signal having the duty cycle of 20% (830) wasrarely changed from the brightness of the LCD device at initial driving(810).

More detailed descriptions will be made with reference to FIGS. 10 and11 for comparison.

FIG. 10 shows a white brightness at the initial driving of an LCD devicewith a control signal having the duty cycle of 100% (910 a), a blackbrightness at the initial driving of the LCD device with a controlsignal having the duty cycle of 100% (910 b), a white brightness at theinitial driving of an LCD device with a control signal having the dutycycle of 100% (920 a) after annealing was performed for forty hours atfifty degrees, and a black brightness at the initial driving of the LCDdevice with a control signal having the duty cycle of 100% (920 b) afterannealing was performed for forty hours at fifty degrees.

As seen from FIG. 10, both of the white brightness and the blackbrightness of the LCD device with a control signal having the duty cycleof 100% were lowered after the annealing. In particular, the whitebrightness was lowered more than the black brightness, possiblyresulting in inverse afterimage.

FIG. 11 shows a white brightness at the initial driving of an LCD devicewith a control signal having the duty cycle of 25% (930 a), a blackbrightness at the initial driving of the LCD device with a controlsignal having the duty cycle of 25% (930 b), a white brightness at theinitial driving of an LCD device with a control signal having the dutycycle of 25% (940 a) after annealing was performed for forty hours atfifty degrees, and a black brightness at the initial driving of the LCDdevice with a control signal having the duty cycle of 25% (940 b) afterannealing was performed for forty hours at fifty degrees.

As seen from FIG. 11, the white brightness and the black brightness ofthe LCD device with a control signal having the duty cycle of 25% wererarely lowered after the annealing. In addition, there is no differencebetween white brightness and black brightness, inverse afterimage may bemitigated.

Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to suchembodiments, but rather to the broader scope of the presented claims andvarious obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid-crystal display device comprising: adisplay panel connected to first to n^(th) gate lines and first ton^(th) control lines, wherein n is a natural number greater than one;and a gate driving unit which sequentially applies first to n^(th) gatesignals having a first pulse width to the first to n^(th) gate lines,respectively, for a unit frame, wherein the first to n^(th) controllines are sorted into first to k^(th) control line groups, wherein k isa natural number greater than one and less than n, the gate driving unitsequentially applies first to k^(th) control signals having a secondpulse width to the first to k^(th) control line groups, respectively,for the unit frame, and the first pulse width is smaller than the secondpulse width.
 2. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 1, whereinthe first to k^(th) control signals have a duty cycle ranging from about20 percent to about 25 percent.
 3. The liquid-crystal display device ofclaim 1, wherein each of the first to k^(th) control signals overlapsanother one.
 4. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 1, whereinthe unit frame comprises first to k^(th) sub-frames, and wherein acontrol signal applied during one of the first to k^(th) sub-frameoverlaps a control signal applied during a previous sub-frame of thesub-frame and/or a control signal applied during a subsequent sub-frameof the sub-frame.
 5. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 1,wherein a pulse width of the first to k^(th) control signals is greaterthan a pulse width of the first to n^(th) gate signals.
 6. Theliquid-crystal display device of claim 1, further comprising: a datadriving unit connected to the display panel via first to m^(th) datalines, wherein the first to n^(th) gate lines comprises an i^(th) gateline, and the first to nth control lines comprises an i^(th) controlline, wherein i is a natural number equal to or greater than one andequal to or less than n, and the first to m^(th) data lines comprises aj^(th) data line, wherein j is a natural number equal to or greater thanone and equal to or less than m.
 7. The liquid-crystal display device ofclaim 6, wherein the display panel comprises a pixel including first andsecond sub-pixels, and wherein the first sub-pixel comprises: a firstswitching element, a gate electrode of the first switching element beingconnected to the i^(th) gate line, one electrode of the first switchingelement being connected to the j^(th) data line, and another electrodeof the first switching element being connected to a first sub-pixelelectrode, and the second sub-pixel comprises: a second switchingelement, a gate electrode of the second switching element beingconnected to the i^(th) gate line and one electrode of the secondswitching element being connected to the j^(th) data line; and a thirdswitching element, a gate electrode of the third switching element beingconnected to the i^(th) control line, one electrode of the thirdswitching element being connected to the another electrode of the firstswitching element, and another electrode of the third switching elementbeing connected to a second sub-pixel electrode.
 8. The liquid-crystaldisplay device of claim 7, wherein an on-resistance of the thirdswitching element ranges from about 0.1 mega-ohm to about 1,000mega-ohms.
 9. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 1, wherein thegate driving unit comprises first to k^(th) sub-driving units, the firstto k^(th) sub-driving units sequentially apply the first to k^(th)control signals to the first to k^(th) control line groups,respectively.
 10. A liquid-crystal display device comprising: a datadriving unit connected to a plurality of data lines disposed in a firstdirection; a gate driving unit connected to a plurality of gate linesand a plurality of control lines disposed in a second directiondifferent from the first direction; and a display panel comprising aplurality of pixels each including first and second sub-pixels, whereinthe first sub-pixel comprises: a first switching element, a gateelectrode of the first switching element being connected to an i^(th)gate line of the plurality of gate lines, one electrode of the firstswitching element being connected to a j^(th) data line of the pluralityof data lines, and another electrode of the first switching elementbeing connected to a first sub-pixel electrode, wherein i and j arenatural numbers equal to or greater than one, the second sub-pixelcomprises a second switching element, a gate electrode of the secondswitching element being connected to the i^(th) gate line and oneelectrode of the second switching element being connected to the j^(th)data line, and a third switching element, a gate electrode of the thirdswitching element being connected to an i^(th) control line, oneelectrode of the third switching element being connected to the anotherelectrode of the first switching electrode, and another electrode of thethird switching element being connected to a second sub-pixel electrode,and wherein a duty cycle of an i^(th) control signal provided from thei^(th) control line ranges from about 20 percent to about 50 percent.11. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 10, wherein a pulse widthof an i^(th) gate signal provided via the i^(th) gate line is differentfrom a pulse width of the i^(th) control signal provided via the i^(th)control line.
 12. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 10, whereinthe plurality of control lines is sorted into first to k^(th) controlline groups, wherein k is a natural number greater than one and lessthan n, the display panel comprises first to k^(th) display plane eachreceiving a control signal from the first to k^(th) control line groups,and the gate driving unit sequentially applies first to k^(th) controlsignals to the first to the k^(th) display plane, respectively.
 13. Theliquid-crystal display device of claim 12, wherein the gate driving unitsequentially applies the first to k^(th) control signals to the first tok^(th) display planes.
 14. The liquid-crystal display device of claim12, wherein each of the first to k^(th) control signals overlaps anotherone.
 15. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 12, wherein thefirst to k^(th) control signals have the same pulse width.
 16. Theliquid-crystal display device of claim 10, wherein an on-resistance ofthe third switching element ranges from about 0.1 mega-ohm to about1,000 mega-ohm.
 17. A liquid-crystal display device comprising: a gatedriving unit connected to first to n^(th) gate lines and first to k^(th)control lines, wherein n is a natural number greater than one and k is anatural number greater than one and less than n; a data driving unitconnected to first to m^(th) data lines; and a display panel comprisinga plurality of pixels each connected to the respective first to n^(th)gate lines, wherein the display panel is divided into first to k^(th)display planes connected to the first to k^(th) control lines,respectively, the gate driving unit sequentially applies gate signals tothe first to n^(th) gate lines, respectively, during a unit frame, andto sequentially apply control signals to the first to k^(th) controllines, and a pulse width of the gate signals is different from a pulsewidth of the control signals.
 18. The liquid-crystal display device ofclaim 17, wherein each of the first to k^(th) control signals overlapsanother one.
 19. The liquid-crystal display device of claim 17, whereinthe first to k^(th) control signals have a duty cycle ranging from about20 percent to about 25 percent.
 20. The liquid-crystal display device ofclaim 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of pixels comprisesfirst and second sub-pixels, wherein the first sub-pixel comprises afirst switching element, a gate electrode of the first switching elementbeing connected to an i^(th) gate line of the first to n^(th) gatelines, one electrode of the first switching element being connected to aj^(th) data line of the first to m^(th) data lines, and anotherelectrode of the first switching element being connected to a firstsub-pixel electrode, where i is a natural number equal to or greaterthan one and equal to or less than n, and j is a natural number equal toor greater than one and equal to or less than m, and the secondsub-pixel comprises a second switching element, a gate electrode of thesecond switching element being connected to the i^(th) gate line and oneelectrode of the second switching element being connected to the j^(th)data line, and a third switching element, a gate electrode of the thirdswitching element being connected to an i^(th) control line, oneelectrode of the third switching element being connected to the anotherelectrode of the first switching electrode, and another electrode of thethird switching element being connected to a second sub-pixel electrode.